Indiana State University Newsroom

Student Ensemble Series presents “A Celtic Voyage”

October 5, 2011

The Indiana State University Concert Band and Symphonic Band will perform a concert of Celtic inspired music Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Tirey Hall's Tilson Auditorium.

Doug Keiser, assistant director of bands and conductor of both the Concert and Symphonic Band, described the program as being "...comprised of music taken from the Celtic folk tradition and arranged for wind band, as well as original music for band using Celtic musical traditions and effects, and well-known music that has been influenced by the popularity of Celtic (Irish, Scottish, Welsh) folk music."

The decision to have a Celtic theme for the concert came from the piece, "Celtic Hymns and Dances" by Eric Ewazen, this year's guest composer for the Contemporary Music Festival that will be held on Thursday, Oct. 26 through Friday, Oct. 28. The Symphonic Band will be performing the one movement work that draws inspiration from medieval and renaissance music at the opening concert of the Contemporary Music Festival on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Tirey Hall's Tilson Auditorium.

Among the well-known music on the program is music from "How to Train Your Dragon." The Concert Band will perform the work from the popular animated fantasy movie of the same title about a young Viking boy and the dragon he befriended. The soundtrack from the movie was written by composer John Powell and was nominated for an Academy Award, in addition to winning multiple cinematic awards.

The Symphonic Band will continue the Celtic theme with a performance of a traditional setting of "Greensleeves" by Alfred Reed and "Kirkpartrick Fanfare" by Andrew Boysen Jr., a highly successful conductor and composer whose first university position was at Indiana State.

Keiser will share the podium with graduate conductors David Fox, the orchestra conductor at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Terre Haute; Dan Peo, the band director at McCutcheon High School in Lafayette; and Gordon Couch, graduate student in wind conducting at Indiana State University.

Admission to the event is free and attendance by campus and community members is encouraged. For more information, contact the School of Music at 812-237-2771.

Contact: Doug Keiser, associate director of bands, School of Music, Indiana State University, 812-237-2749, or Douglas.Keiser@indstate.edu.